“Roen,” Liv interrupted again, “we cannot risk intruders or being discovered. The island is still sacred. We need her to stay healthy if she’s going to keep making water for us.”
“That all goes without saying.” He took her hand and wrapped his fingers tightly around hers. “We will continue our scientific work, studying this place. We’ll set up secure means of transport on and off the island by boat and air so that we can bring in supplies when needed and so that people may come and go. But this land will no longer be referred to as sacred.”
Liv’s fingers squeezed his. “Well, it’s still sacred. The water can heal almost anyone from almost any injury. It’s pretty remarkable if you ask me.” She looked at Dr. Fuller. “Isn’t that right, Doctor?”
Dr. Fuller smiled. “I don’t know, Liv. After everything I’ve seen, I’m wondering if she’s not just some demonic freak of nature.”
Roen could see the anger in Liv’s eyes, and her mouth began to express it out loud. “How can you—”
“All right, Liv,” he cut her off. “We’ve all had a trying few days, and I know we’re all in need of a little rest.”
Pure rage flickered in Liv’s eyes and made him pause. But then that glowing, warm smile he loved so much crept across her lips. “You’re totally right, Roen. I haven’t slept in days.” Liv gave his hand another squeeze. “I’d like to go home now, if you’re done playing benevolent ruler.”
He leaned down and kissed her. “Yes. I’m through. Let’s get you home.”
~~~
Liv watched through her own eyes as Roen packed up his things, including some of the island’s ancient texts. Crazy Dirt, of course, tried to dissuade him from bringing anything back to the mainland, claiming that the distractions of this place would get between them.
Liv screamed and fought and cried and begged, but every time she saw a look in Roen’s eyes, some hint of worry or discomfort, there she was, distracting him again. “Fuck me, Roen. Fuck me again,” Crazy Dirt would beg.
Roen would then flash that cocky smile, unable to deny his mate what they both wanted. It was a nightmare. A horrific nightmare to witness Roen unknowingly betraying her.
He loves you, Liv. He loves you. He’s not doing this to hurt you. “Roen! Don’t leave. Don’t leave the island!”
Crazy Dirt walked into the bathroom, closed the door, and then stared into the mirror, a look of pure evil flickering behind brown eyes that were so familiar, yet so foreign. “Listen, you human bitch, he can’t hear you. The only thing you are accomplishing is giving me a fucking headache and pissing me off.”
“Ask me if I give a shit. Roen! Roen!”
Crazy Dirt pounded her fist so hard on the marble countertop that the pain made Liv gasp. “You miserable little cunt, keep behaving like an infant, but it will change nothing. If you behave nicely, however, I promise to bring Roen back from time to time for a visit so you can feel close to him again. Maybe I’ll even bring your children by for visits.” Crazy Dirt circled her hand over her stomach.
Children? “No.” Liv wanted to cry.
“With the way your merman fucks and the strength of your body, I’m probably pregnant already.” She laughed.
“You—you can’t do that. You can’t—”
“Oh, but I can, and I will. We’ll have dozens of strong, healthy mermen who will serve me obediently for generations.”
No, no, no. She couldn’t have babies with Roen! They’d be made with her body and her eggs and DNA, but…they’ll have Crazy Dirt for a mother.
“I’ll fucking kill you. I swear to God, I will kill you.” Liv was about to lose her mind. Once again, she found herself wondering how any of this was even possible. Her mind and soul now existed in this strange dark place outside her body. A body that she still felt connected to and breathed and walked with Crazy Dirt’s heart inside it.
Crazy Dirt shrugged. “You have no hands or real power, so I think I’m safe from you, Liv.” Crazy Dirt wiggled her fingers in the mirror. “Ta-ta, little human.”
Crazy Dirt walked out of the bathroom and went to find Roen. He was now in the enormous library downstairs, sorting through a pile of old dusty books. He’d already changed into his landlover clothes, a pair of jeans and a regular navy blue T-shirt. He was so beautiful, the way his gold-streaked hair hung to his jawline, the way the muscled contours of his chest and arms stretched his soft shirt. The broad shoulders and tall framework of his body screamed with raw masculinity.
Above all, though, it was his heart and sense of loyalty she loved the most. And fucking Crazy Dirt is using those against him. She loved him too much to let this happen.
“There you are.” He beamed at her. “I think I’ve got everything I need. The pilots said the safety check is done. Ready to go?”
“Roen! Roen…” Liv’s words faded as despair overcame her and she choked on her heartache. “Please,” she whispered, hoping with all her heart that he would come to his senses. “Please listen to your gut, Roen.” Oh God. I love you. Please don’t go. Please. Liv had no doubt in her mind that this…this thing intended to feed on their children someday, too.
Liv watched in horror as Roen and Crazy Dirt boarded the plane. Dana stayed behind, wanting to help Lyle, Dr. Fuller, and Holden with the task of transforming all of the women back.
Liv could do nothing as the love of her life flew away. With each mile of distance, the connection between her and her body faded—almost as if she wasn’t strong enough to bridge so much space between them—until her body became nothing more than a flitter of tingles.
Liv immediately felt the isolation closing in on her, her soul anchored to the island, but one small connection remained: Dana.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Five Weeks Later…
Roen stood in his corner office on the twentieth floor of Doran Cargo, gazing out the window across the Seattle skyline. It was so damned ironic.
Five months ago, he’d been standing in this very same spot, looking out this very same window, feeling a dark cloud hanging over his head. Then the envelope containing his father’s will had showed up, telling him about the island. It all started from there, like a wild dream. He ended up taking a freighter out to the middle of the North Pacific, getting into a helicopter, and crashing into that island. He remembered seeing a vision of his mother trying to wave him back, telling him not to come to that place. But he had. And through a twist of fate, his mate had been shipwrecked and stranded there, too, forcing him to step in and fight for her. He ended up the leader of that strange place and found out who he truly was.
Yet for everything he’d been through, he still had just as many questions as when the journey started. He’d never got to the bottom of what the island was or what she truly wanted.
His phone rang on his desk behind him, and he walked over to check the caller ID. Cherie.
“Yes?” he said.
“Sir, your brother is on the phone. Should I put him through?”
“Yes.”
“Oh! And Liv called five times. She said that if you don’t call her back in the next hour, you’re going to regret it.”
Foking hell. He’d sent her to stay with her parents for a few days, taking advantage of the fact he needed to go to Chicago and sort through some legal matters with Phil. He’d been planning on leaving right after work. The truth was, however, that he needed a little time apart from Liv, too.
He ran his hands through his hair. “Thank you, Cherie. I’ll call her in a minute. Put Lyle through.”
“Yes, sir.” Cherie stayed on the line instead of connecting him. She’d been doing that a lot lately, just sitting there listening to him breathe.
“Cherie?”
“Yes?” she said sweetly.
She was invaluable to him, but unless he did something to break her obsession, he’d have to fire her. That wasn’t what he wanted.
“Cherie, do you trust me?”
“Yes, sir. Implicitly.”
“Good. Then wha
t I’m about to say may hurt your feelings, but you need to trust me when I say that I don’t want you. I will never want you—not in a romantic way. Not like I want Liv. Whom I plan to marry.”
“You’re going to marry her?” Cherie sounded heartbroken.
“Yes.” He’d been planning to ask Liv right away, but then it didn’t feel right. He wanted their memories to be free from the horrors of the last few months. In twenty years, they deserved to be able to look back at their engagement with fondness. Yes, it was best to put a little distance between them and that island, not just geographically, but mentally.
“So are we clear, Cherie?” he said in his absolute, most sympathetic voice. “Your obsessing ends today or you’re going to have to find another position.” He honestly did not want that, but if she didn’t find a way to get control of her desire, it would ruin her life. And for what? She didn’t love him. Human women just found his kind irresistible.
“Oh-oh-oh-kay, sir. I understand.”
He drew a deep breath.
“Can you set me up with your brother?” she asked sheepishly.
What the foke? “No. Now please put the call through.”
“Yes, sir. Here’s your call, sir,” she said, sounding more depressed than ever.
“Roen?” Lyle’s deep familiar voice came through the speaker.
“Yes, I’m here. And please don’t tell me you’re calling with bad news.”
“That depends,” Lyle said.
“Depends on what?”
“If you see the fact I fucked Liv’s sister as a problem.”
Roen nearly choked on his tongue. “What did you go and do that for?”
“She’s a woman. I’m a merman.”
“You didn’t…bite her, did you?”
“I’m not a complete asshole. And I have better control than that.”
Most mermen didn’t. Which was why in the past, women were only brought to the island during the Collection. The women would be bitten and some would become maids. Only now, he understood that women who drank the water were safe from whatever substance was in their saliva that changed the women into creatures.
Frankly, their species was very mysterious. One of the many reasons he wanted the scientific studies to continue.
“Well, I’m glad you didn’t turn her sister into a maid, but Liv will not be happy regardless.” Honestly, if he were Lyle, he’d be looking for another island to go live on. A change of identity would be wise, too. Ever since that final day on the island, Liv had been behaving strangely. She had an extremely short fuse and had become exaggeratedly controlling, suffocating. At first, he attributed it to the stress and exhaustion—after all, she’d been kidnapped by Shane and then had to kill in order to survive. However, five weeks had passed and he’d only seen her grow more frustrated. She was obsessed with getting pregnant.
Yes, he wanted children, too, but they’d been through so much. He wanted time together, just the two of them. Nevertheless, he’d agreed to just let things happen. He wanted her to be happy. She deserved that.
Only, she isn’t happy. She’s…foking crazy.
“Well, just a word of advice, brother,” Roen said, “the Stratton women are a little…domineering.”
“I actually find Dana rather—what’s the term? Laid back. Except in bed, which is why I’m calling.”
Roen resisted groaning. “Please do not tell me you’re calling for sex advice.”
“You wish, Roen. I need no help in that department. I’m a mermen.”
“Then?” Roen parked his fist on his hip. He didn’t have time for beating around the bush.
“Dana behaves unusually in her sleep.”
Roen really could not give less of a foke. “Then don’t sleep with her.”
“You’re not following; she gets hysterical and screams at the top of her lungs. She claws at my face and hits me.”
Jesus. Lyle definitely needed to sleep alone. Or with someone else.
He continued, “She says that she’s trapped, over and over again. That you have to be warned.”
“Me?” Roen’s heart skipped a dark, dreadful beat. “Foke. When did this begin? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“Hell, I only started fucking her a few days ago, after the barbeque.”
They’d had a barbeque? If not for the very serious nature of this conversation, he’d be asking for details.
He continued, “And I’m still not sure she’s not simply having nightmares.”
“Does Dana remember anything?” Roen asked.
“Not a thing.”
This was strange behavior, but it could be like he said: simply a nightmare.
“Do you think it means anything?” Lyle asked.
“I’m not sure.” Honestly, he found it hard to make sense of.
“Has Liv been acting like herself?”
“No,” Roen admitted. “I mean—I’m not sure. She’s gone through a lot.” He didn’t have enough history with her to know if this was normal.
Bullshit. You’ve seen Liv at her worst. Even when her life had been threatened and she’d been locked in a cage on the island, there was a kindness in her. Yes, she was also a fighter and tough as nails, but her good heart always shined through. The same could be said about her selflessness.
However, since that last day on the island, she’d been behaving as though her heart had grown cold and distant. Foke. That thought hit him hard. “I have to go, brother.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m not sure yet, but I need to go see Liv,” Roen said, wondering if this had something to do with why Liv had been behaving so aggressively. “Lyle, have you sensed that anything is off at the island?”
“Actually, yes. I mean no. I can’t describe it, but the place has changed.”
“Changed how?”
“All of the maids have been turned back—well, most of them. Some remain as maids, despite being given water. Dr. Fuller thinks they simply gave up or let go of their human side. But the rest are starting to heal and remember who they were. The men are happy. There’s a sense of hope and…well, it sounds fucking corny and ridiculous, but the darkness that once shrouded the place is gone. I’m beginning to think that was what made us so violent and bloodthirsty. But now, even the flowers are growing.”
That did sound strange.
Lyle went on, “And when I say flowers, I mean they’re everywhere, Roen. The island has turned into a paradise. Warm, beautiful, and filled with so much—” he made a deep little groan, as if seriously regretting what he was about to say “—love. The island feels like it’s filled with love.”
“You’re foking scaring me, Lyle.” This man, his “little” brother, was this fierce-looking, barbarian type, covered in scars and with a scowl that could stop a man’s heart with one look. But to hear him speaking like some love-infatuated hippy, high on life and fresh ocean air…well, it was disturbing, frankly.
So Liv was acting like a raging bitch. The island had transformed into a happy little paradise. Something is definitely wrong. The only issue was, everyone had what they wanted. He had Liv. His people had peace and freedom. The human threat was gone.
“I’ll be in touch.” Roen ended the call and stared at the old book on his desk. It was their most ancient text, written in symbols similar to those found in the Phoenician alphabet, which made it difficult to read. The curious part was that all of their ancient texts had been translated over a hundred years ago into multiple languages. All but this one. It was why he’d taken it with him. Had someone simply destroyed the translated text? Or had this one been left untouched for a reason? Regardless, he had Cherie scan the entire thing and send it off to a linguistics expert in Germany. The stories in these old books were so outlandish—tales of mermaids and ancient fishermen, stories of an island that spoke—no one would ever believe a word of them. Ancient fairytales and nothing more.
He slid his cell from his pocket to call Liv.
She picked up i
mmediately. “Where the hell have you been, merman?”
Roen cleared his throat. “Working. How are your parents?”
“Lame. They keep asking me about Dana. I mean, what more do they want? They spoke to her. She’s alive. I’m alive. But my mother won’t stop talking and talking and crying. I wonder how anyone puts up with her.”
“I thought you loved your mother.”
“Of course I do. I just find her annoying. That’s normal, right?” Liv said.
“I wouldn’t know. My relationship with my mother wasn’t exactly normal.”
“I suppose you’re right. After all, she tried to eat you,” Liv said callously.
“Thank you for the warm reminder.” He still wasn’t sure if the maid in the tank had been his mother, but what could he do now other than pray that whoever she was, she was in a better place? And truthfully, he’d spent almost twenty years grieving for his mother’s death. And then he’d grieved for Lyle. He was done grieving.
“You’re welcome, baby,” Liv said. “Anyway, speaking of baby, I have some good news. I’m pregnant!”
Roen’s stomach twisted into a knot. Foke. If something wasn’t right with Liv, then her being pregnant would only complicate matters.
Then again, maybe this was why she’d been acting so erratic?
“Roen? You there?”
“Uh, yeah. I’m just…” he swallowed, “surprised.”
There was a long moment of silence. “So, you’re not happy?”
“Very happy. I think it just needs to settle in.” I’m going to be sick.
“I figured you might feel that way, which is why I decided to come back to Seattle.”
“But I told you, I’m leaving for Chicago. Urgent business.” Now more than ever, he needed time to clear his head.
The doors of his office burst open, and in walked Liv speaking into a cell phone. “Cancel it. We have some celebrating to do.”